Exploring the History of Bias Within the Child Welfare System and Seeking Solutions

The Ensuring Racial Equity Committee, in collaboration with the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Committee and the Fairness and Access Committee, is honored to present a series of discussions on the institutional history of the child welfare system. From a national perspective, these discussions will shed light on the structural bias and racial disparities within the child welfare system and the negative impact such bias has on families of color, particularly African American families. In this presentation the presenters demonstrate that these families are disproportionately brought into the child welfare system and discuss reasons for their overrepresentation. The discussion highlights strategic and creative action being taken nationally to address and dismantle the bias giving rise to these disparities.